News You Can Eat

Multiple Asian-inspired brunches top Austin's 9 tastiest bites of food news

Oseyo is kicking off its new brunch service on December 16.

Photo courtesy of Oseyo

Editor’s note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of Austin’s restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our regular roundup of essential food news.

Openings and closings

Nine Banded Whiskey, an Austin-based company, has partnered with No Sleep Beverage investors in a $10 million deal that the whiskey makers hope to put toward a new tasting room. "The development of a tasting room will bring together our friends from the spirits, music and culinary scene, in a new brick and mortar space for the entire Nine Banded family to enjoy," said Nine Banded Whiskey co-founders Sean Foley, Chris Ogden and Whitney Kroenke Silverstein in a press release. So far there is no opening date or location, but it's something for fans of the brand to look out for.

ICYMI: Fans of the Austin hospitality group Emmer & Rye (Emmer & Rye, Hestia, Canje) will have a few more reasons to visit San Antonio in 2024 when a big new project opens with four restaurants and a market. Dave & Busters will be entertaining folks in South Austin now that the Southpark Meadows location is now open. In more bittersweet news, Austinites will be saying goodbye a local favorite at the end of the year as Seoulju serves its final meals on December 31.

Other news and notes

UT Football player Hayden Conner is hosting a donation collection event with some teammates at the newly opened Mutts Canine Cantina. Visitors can contribute peanut butter, dog and cat treats, bones, toys, fleece blankets, towels and sheets, and large dog jackets or sweaters to the drive for Austin Animal Center. Dog owners can bring their furry friends to the combination eatery and dog park for some socializing with other benefactors. The drive on December 15 lasts from 4-6 pm.

Broken-hearted Seoulju fans may find some solace in another Korean hotspot, Oseyo. The East Austin restaurant is kicking off its first brunch service from 11 am to 2:30 pm, on December 16. Its take on brunch — not much of a Korean concept, traditionally— will include a vegan raspberry chia parfait with pine nuts; perilla fritters stuffed with tofu, beef, pork, and kimchi; and a "Fishy Breakfast" that pairs pan-roasted mackerel with steamed rice, a 6-minute egg, pickled mu radish, and a Brussels sprout salad.

Free Lunch ATX, the artsy food magazine and unhoused food support nonprofit, is hosting its largest annual fundraising event on December 16, offering up a concert and a spaghetti dinner at South Austin honky tonk Sagebrush. Texas band Rattlesnake Milk covers Johnny Cash, and Austin artist Carrie Fussell covers Patsy Cline featuring The Texas Gentlemen, among other performances. Guests must dress in all red. Tickets ($30) are available on Eventbrite.

Could it be? More Asian-inspired brunch? Asian fusion restaurant the Peached Tortilla is partnering with sandwich truckBrooklyn Breakfast Shop for a special brunch on December 17. This is a family affair, so to speak — Brooklyn Breakfast Shop owner Ryan Rosen was formerly a chef at Peached Tortilla. The older restaurant is donating its space from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm, so all the profit goes to Rosen and the sandwich truck. Stop by for Sichuan pork biscuits & gravy, Eggs Benedict with char siu (red barbecue pork), orange chicken on a bun, and hash browns with kimchi miso butter.

If all you want for Christmas is to hear some Motown records in a beautiful space, look no further than South Lamar's Eberly; It's partnering with Waterloo Records for another one of its Crate Diggers events on December 19. This pop-up record shop features holiday records from the label that made soul mainstream. Go and dig as invited, or simply enjoy some cocktails during the extended happy hour.

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Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.